18.10.13 - Lecture with Sam Arthur from NoBrow.

On friday we had a whole day with Sam Arthur from Nobrow. Nobrow is a publishing company who specialise in art and illustration magazines and books and set a platform for their work to be seen on a "invite only" basis.

The first half of our day was set around Sams discussion about the basic outlines of who Nobrow are and how they got started with entrepreneurial ideas being a running theme through his talk. He spoke his tastes who his team got bigger and bigger and where they intend to go in the future.

It was really interesting, not particularly because i'm interested in setting up anything similar but out of general business and curiosity to see how these things come to fruition.

When going through the talk Sam briefly mention a book they had published called "The New Ghost" by Robert Hunter. I was blown away by how beautiful the illustrations were, i adored the use of colour and now really want to get my hands on a copy so i can properly read it. Heres a few photos i found online so you can get a general jist of it.

I also picked out from the talk when Sam was talking about wanting to do staple bound books, i personally really like the effect of staple bound, i find it feels more personal and less mass produced when staple bound but he spoke about how when speaking to sales, they find it harder to sell as there is no advertising space on the spine of the book so wouldn't work in bookshops. Even with this in mind, i still was really drawn to this way of putting a book together, and i'm tempted to look at this further into my project.

As i will/have written about, i really wasn't to drawn to the second half of the day as pride got the better of me. I did spend the first half of my time looking around at everyones from the classes work, and some of the outcomes from just 2 weeks really blew me away. But the whole "lets make a mini exhibition and show off to the posh bloke from london" things just made my spine go funny and had to bow out.
It wasnt meant as offensive to the guest or the lecturers at-all, and i can understand why it might make some people irate but rather leave quietly then have a meltdown surly?
Anyway enough self analysis, Update Soon.

29.04.13 - Guest lecture with Andrew Foster.

INSERT PHOTOS

On Monday afternoon we had a guest lecture with Andrew Foster.
Andrew Foster is a well known British illustrator. Working mainly now in a authorial style, with a mix media capsule of stunning work.
Here are my notes:
Graduated in 1994
Avoids illustration events
Aged 13 - drew record covers
Went to st. Martins to do a MA
Gary Powell
Greyson perry - lack of fashionability
Scale impacts the viewer and informs you
Work is about his life
Draw stories, doesn't matter what it looks like


I found it really hard to process this lecture.
Andrew was a big personality, with a lot of strong ideas and concepts.
As you can see from the notes, it was hard to really get anything down on paper. I was definitely more into just listening to what he had to say.
I had a very long chat with my roommate (who is also on the course) about the whole experience afterwards. It defiantly resonated with me long afterwards.
It had confirmed a lot of things that were bubbling around in my head for a very long time.
I knew that after my last project, I needed to stop focusing all my work around what grade I get. There is absolutely no way you can ever make everyone happy when you are dealing with your artwork and trying to, to get the grades you think you deserve will make you unfulfilled at the end of it all.
At the end of the last two terms I received the exact same mark, even though I had known I worked on one considerably harder then the other. When recovering my first term marked it spurred me on to want to do better and work harder to achieve higher grades, then at the end of it all, I got the exact same.
I now know my place, and have found this pattern all the way through my life. I am a middle achiever (not failing and not flying) I had to work SO hard to get even my merit to get into university, while others sailed through, and at the time I found it so hard to deal with, I felt short changed, and misunderstood. And these past few months and put into perspective that I jut do t want that hassle in my life anymore.
I only have a handful of months left in school, a place in my life where I can spend all my time focusing on making art, and I just don't want the stress of grades running my last years of that.
Getting a high grade is pleasing one person, the dude who's marking it, and i'd much rather enjoy making my work myself.
Andrew, made it quite clearly that whatever path you choose, whatever grade you get is all relative.


FINISH